Personnel: Miami

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Juan Kuryla, PPM®, is now PortMiami’s director. His appointment by Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez was confirmed April 8 by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.

Juan Kuryla Confirmed as PortMiami Director

Juan Kuryla, PPM®, is now PortMiami’s director. His appointment by Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez was confirmed April 8 by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. He succeeds Bill Johnson, the port’s chief executive from 2006 until his appointment, effective this April 1, to head the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department.

Mr. Kuryla’s career with Miami-Dade County began in 1987 in the Parks and Recreation Department. He moved in 1993 to the county’s finance department as an administrative officer and a year and a half later to the public works department as section head in the road, bridge and canal maintenance division.

Mr. Kuryla was promoted in 1996 to work in the county manager’s office as an assistant administrator and in May 1998 to assistant to the port director, where he oversaw the seaport department’s local, state and federal legislative agenda. From February 2001 through February 2007, he held the positions of assistant port director for intergovernmental affairs and assistant port director for intergovernmental affairs and promotions.

In 2007, Mr. Kuryla was promoted to assistant port director for maritime services. In this capacity, he served as co-lead port negotiator on all long-term agreements executed with cruise and cargo customers and oversaw port operations, facilities management, berthing and property management, in addition to the port’s customer service, business development, public information and media relations. In 2009, Mr. Kuryla was promoted to deputy port director, with oversight responsibility for the five assistant port directors. He was named seaport director designee in May 2013.

Mr. Kuryla holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in business administration from Florida International University and PPM® certification from the American Association of Port Authorities. He is a member of the AAPA Cruise and Curriculum committees. His PPM® paper, "Pros and Cons of Long Term Agreements with Large Volume Customers at Ports," is posted on the AAPA website.

"Port Director Juan Kuryla’s proven experience and leadership skills make him the ideal person to lead our Seaport Department," said Mayor Gimenez. "I am confident that his wealth of knowledge and experience in the maritime industry – both in the cargo and cruise business – will continue to move PortMiami forward."

Juan Kuryla, PPM®
Photo/PortMiami